On Wednesday, Secretary of State Tony Blinken was in Ethiopia stressing, “the importance of accountability for the atrocities perpetrated by all parties” during fighting in the country’s north that may have constituted war crimes or genocide.
Also Wednesday, several congressmen wrote Blinken demanding that the State Department own up to its own accountability in protecting Nazi perpetrators of war crimes and genocide. For decades, under his predecessors, both Democrats and Republicans, the State Department blocked the deportation of Holocaust death camp guards and other Nazi criminals that the Justice Department had uncovered.
Reps. Jerry Nadler and Greg Meeks wrote to Blinken almost a year and a half ago, when they were the chairmen of the Judiciary and Foreign Affairs Committees, along with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, now the minority leader. As their new letter says, “We are disappointed that we did not receive a reply.” Joining the effort is freshman Rep. Dan Goldman, a longtime federal prosecutor who was shocked to learn about State’s sordid history of protecting Nazis.
